Means for attaching fore-end stocks to gun-barrels



J. E. GAGE. MEANS POR ATTAGHING PURE END STOCKS T0 GUN BARRBLS.

No. 409,188. Patented Aug. 20, 1889.

(No-` Model.)

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PATENT OFFICEc JAMES E. GAGE, OF CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

MEANS FOR ATTACHING FORE-END STOCKS TO GUN-BARRELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,188, dated August20, 1889.

Application filed November 24, 1888. Serial No. 291,790x (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES E. GAGE, of Concord, county of Merrimae,State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvementin Breech-LoadingGuns, of which the following description, in connect-ion with theaccompanying drawings, is a specication, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention has for its object to improve that class ofbreech-loading guns in which the barrel of the gun is retained inposition on the stock by means of a hand-piece applied to the under sideof the barrel. ln this class of guns, so far as I am aware, the barrelcannot be detached from the stock to pack or clean the gun except afterthe removal of the handpiece from the barrel. The detaching of thehand-piece prior to removing the barrel from the stock and theapplication of the handpiece to the barrel when the gun is to beassembled, besides being inconvenient, frequently cause the loss ot'valuable time, and frequently the hand-piece is dropped and sometimeslost. To obviate this trouble, I have so constructed the hand-piece thatit may be permanently attached to the barrel, and so that the hand-pieceneeds only to be slid longitudinally when it is desired to remove thebarrel from the stock, or vice versa.

My invention consists in the combination, with a barrel and stock and ashoe attached to the barrel, of a sliding hand-piece and a lockingdevice consisting of spring-arms at.- tached to the said hand-piece toengage the said shoe to retain the said hand-piece upon the barrel whenthe barrel is removed from the stock, and the releasing device to act onthe said spring-arms, substantially as will be described.

Figure 1 in elevation and section shows a suicient portion of adouble-barrel gun to enable my invention to be understood. Fig. 2 is anunder side view of the hand-piece and the metallic bar attached thereto,the handpiece being shown in dotted lines; Fig. 3, a transverse sect-ionof the entire gun, the section being on line xm, Fig. 2, the barrelbeing in tiring position; Fig. 4, a similar transverse section on theline y y. Fig. 5 shows separately the guide projection or shoe attachedto the under side of the barrel and co-operating with the sprin g-j aws,to be described, attached to the metal bar secured to the slidinghandpiecel Fig. 6 shows the locking device by itself. Fig. 7 shows thepush-button detached.

The stock A, provided with a gun-lock, and the barrel a3, having thelugs CL4 a5, each provided with a recess, the recess in the lug a4 to beengaged by a dog o', actuated by the lever a2 on the breech-block, whilethe recess of the lug a5 engages a round pin ctx of the breechblock, areand may be all as usual in breechloading guns.

My invention is shown as embodied in a double-barreled gun.

The hand-piece b2 has connected to it, as by screw b', a slottedmetallic bar b, having at its end next the breech a concaved head bx,wliichLwhen the barrel is in tiring position, engages the eonvexed endh4 of the breech. The under side of the barrel a short distance inadvance of the lug c5 has fixed to it a guideblock b, having a web orshoe c4, provided with a heel c, the edge of the said web farthest fromthe breech being beveled or made thin to easily enter between and spreadapart the spring-arms c of the locking device secured by the screw c3 tothe metallic bar b. The inner sides of the spring-arms of the lockingdevice are so shaped as to leave a space h, shoulders 7L h,`with anarrower space between, two locking projections h2 h2, and bevelediingers h3 h3.

The hand-piece is applied to the barrel when the barrel is detached fromthe stock, the portion b5 of the slot in the metallic bar b being thenslipped down over the shoe c4, leaving the heel CG of the shoe just infront of the projections h2.

The hand-piece having been so placed in position, is moved slightlyforward until the projections h2 come above the heel c, which preventsthe hand-piece from dropping off the shoe.

The hand-piece, as shown, has a push-button d. (See Figs. Li and '7.)This push-button has a shoulder 12 to prevent it from dropping throughthe hole in the hand-piece, in which hole it is iitted loosely, 'and thesaid button has two beveled prongs d d, which, when the button is pushedin toward the barrel, act upon the beveled inner faces of the fingersh3, thus spreading the spring-arms of IOO L l 4U the locking device, andthen the hand-piece V is further moved toward the outer end of thebarrel until the shoe referred to passes into the large space h betweenthe spring-arms of the locking device and strikes the end of the slot inthe metallic bar b nearest the breech.

`In this condition the hand-piece is securely locked to the barrel, andthe barrel may be applied to the stock in usual manner and be secured tothe stock by sliding the hand-piece toward the breech far enough tocause thev concaved head b to meet the convexed face b4. In thisposition of the hand-piece the heel c6 of the shoe overlaps the lo ckingprojections h2.

To detach the barrel from the stock, the operator Will press upon thepush-button, spread apart the spring-arms of the locking device, andpush the hand-piece toward the outer end of the barrel until the beveledend of the shoe stands in the narrow space of the jaws. In thiscondition the hand-piece is left securelyV held upon the barrel.

If it be desired to remove the hand-piece from the barrel after removingthe barrel from the stock, the hand-piece will be moved longitudinallybackward as far as possibletoward the rear end of the barrels, or untilthe projections h2 pass the heel c6 of the shoe, the hand-piece at suchtime-being free to bc removed.

I claim- 1. In a breech-loading gun comprising a barrel and a stock, thecombination, with a shoe b, secured to the barrel, of a slidinghandpiece provided with a locking device consisting of spring-armspermanently attached to the hand-piece to engage the said shoe andsecure the hand-piece to the barrel, and a releasing device,substantially as described, to operate upon the spring-arms anddisengage them from the said shoe, substantially as and for the purposespeciiied.

2. In a breech-loading gun comprising a barrel and a stock, thecombination, with a shoe 56, of a hand-piece provided with a lockingdevice consisting of` spring-arms to cngage the said shoe and lock thehand-piece to the barrel, and a releasing device consisting of thethumb-piece d', provided with the .beveled arms d, tof engage thespring-arms, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

" JAMES E. GAGE.

Witnesses:

J. H. ALBIN, JAMES H. MORRIS.

